Sociology - Fall 1998

Course Description: This course will retrace the development of the sociological perspective in Western thought. Students will read original texts by eight of the theorists who were most influential in shaping the contours of the discipline of sociology through the turn of the twentieth century. Their writings address the timeless issues raised by life in a social context: How are we to make sense of the elusive patterns which govern social interaction and social development? How are we to reconcile the mutual rights and obligations of individuals on the one hand and of the social group on the other? How are we to balance the conflicting needs for social order and social change? Students will be expected to hone their skills of analysis and self-expression as part of their efforts to synthesize these thinkers' ideas and construct meaningful arguments about the nature of collective life. The purpose of the course is to acquaint students with the origins and evolution of the discipline of sociology in its "classical" period; to present a systematic overview of the ideas, as well as the intellectual and social background, of its outstanding personalities; and to develop an appreciation for the imprint which the discipline's history has placed on our contemporary understanding of the social world.

Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday, 8-9:45 in Thimann Lecture Hall.

Sections: One hour-long section per week.

Course Requirements: two mid-term exams and a three-hour final during exam week.

Reading Assignments:

• Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan
• John Locke's "An Essay Concerning the True Original Extent and End of Civil Government
• Excerpts from Jean Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract
• Excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America
• Several works by Karl Marx and/or Friedrich Engels
• Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
• Emile Durkheim's The Division of Labor in Society

Explores the interconnections between sports and society using sociological theories and methods. Topics include class, race, and gender; mass media and popular culture; political economy; education and socialization; leisure patterns (participants and spectators); globalization and cross-national comparisons.

1. introduction
2. race & ethnicity
3. gender
4. class and social mobility
5. political economy
6. culture and media
7. nationalism and world competition
8. socialization and education
9. deviance and crime
10. summing up

• Eitzen, Sports in Contemporary Society (5th ed.)
• Tygiel, Baseball's Great Experiment
• Lever, Soccer Madness
• Fine, Where the Boys Are
• Ryan, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes

• Hoop Dreams
• The Great White Hope
• Personal Best
• North Dallas Forty
• Hoosiers

There will be two short papers, a "reading responses" journal, and an in-class final examination.

I plan to experiment with a large class, self-organized discussion format.

Revised 7/19/04.